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Tafseer

Q:

Hi Is it true that in Tafseer Ayyashi, Tafseer Burhan and Bihar Al-anwar there is an narration related to verse 51 of surah Nahl: (”Do not take for yourselves two deities. He is but one God, so fear only Me.") that explaines the Word God with the word imams? If yes, how can the Word God ble explained with the Word imam and how isnt this shirk? Reference of narration:

A:

Salaamun Alaykum,

Thank you for your question.

Such a narration does exist and if we also suppose that it is authentic then the meaning being conveyed is not that the Imams are gods. That is that the word God is not being directly replaced by the word Imam in the verse while maintaining the same meaning for the sentence regarding both words.

Rather, the narration means that in the same way that there is one God, there is one Imam to lead the ummah in each time as if this was not the case the ummah would be in disarray in the same way that if there were more then one God the world would be in disarray. In the same way that someone should not take two gods, they should not have two Imams who they follow at the same time.